Spiritual Principle: Hope | |
Step 2: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
LOVING RESTORATION
When I heard Step Two read aloud at meetings, it used to bother me. “Restored to sanity?” I thought disbelievingly. “I can’t point to a time when I ever was sane! What sanity is there to restore me to?”
Indeed, I behaved very insanely before I came into program, which was ten years ago when I was 13 pounds (6 kg) heavier than I am now. I used to sneak food and hide wrappers; plan to eat just one, but finish the whole box; and bring home several days’ worth of binge food and eat it all in front of the TV at one sitting.
Also insane were the mental games I’d play. I’d fixate on food at every party and ignore the people attending. I’d deny myself “bad” food for a while, trying to feel “pure.” Then I’d throw self-control out the window and dive in. When I was angry, sad, or upset, I’d drown the feelings in food before I ever had a chance to feel them.
Once I entered OA and started working the Steps, I was sure I didn’t want to be restored to that state. So how could I work Step Two?
Then I remembered another meaning of “restore.” I have friends who bought a house over a hundred years old, and they set about restoring it. Not only did they fix broken stairs and replace missing roof shakes, they did more. They pored over books and catalogs to understand how their house might have been intended to look when it was designed.
They researched paint colors and molding trims. They scoured antique sales to find just the right furniture to go inside. They lovingly hung curtains and found linens to match. They didn’t care whether their house originally had those things; they wanted to make it the best it could be.
This is how God is restoring me. God is not just fixing what’s broken, but lovingly giving me all the comforts and beauty he wanted me to have all along. I’m being restored to a much better state than I’ve ever been before.
— Joan P., Mountain View, California USA
Source: http://www.oalifeline.org
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3 SPEAKERS WILL DISCUSS SPONSORSHIP.
How and why they do.
As both sponsors and sponsees.
And there will be entertainment too!
Date: Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Time: 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM Eastern time, room will remain open until 9 PM for additional fellowship and entertainment
Zoom info: https://zoom.us/j/83089420845
Meeting ID: 830 8942 0845
Passcode: 060343
Dial-in: 1 646 558 8656
Contact For Questions: Margie 304-615-4336 (call or text), email: mom1925j@gmail.com
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PDF
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MINDFUL EATING Q&A
Do you have a well-defined food plan? I do.
Who helped you define your food plan? We had a suggested food plan in those days (1978) called Blue Sheet (it was on blue paper). I found balance in that plan and a guide to follow for this defiant compulsive overeater. As time passed the amounts changed slightly and I found this plan became a way of life for me. I so enjoy my food/meals.
Are there foods you abstain from or include? Yes. I do not eat sugar or white flour products, that includes certain foods such as pizza (wheat crust or not), peanut butter is out as well. They set me up to want only that food. As for those I include - balance is what I need. Protein, cooked vegetable, fruit, salad, and my cooked oat bran for a good carb are all in my food plan.
Do you weigh and measure? I weigh and measure when I am at home - it is a freedom for me. I use my mind’s eye when I go out to eat, keeping in mind my 6 oz. or more, can pass for 4-1/2 oz. if I am not attentive to it.
How do you handle eating out? The most difficult for me can be buffets or pot lucks. God is my source and He is my guide. I pray and ask for help. This is a Program of Living for me and the blessings of this Program have led me to all types of eating out situations, some more smoothly handled than others.
What food behaviors do you refrain from? No seconds. No bread except if whole wheat is available. No eating off others' plates and God help them if they eat off mine unless I offer. No eating standing up.
Are there specific things you do or times you eat? Given my lifestyle and my husband’s work schedule I often dine alone. I set a place for myself at the table even when I am dining alone at home. As for the times for my meals -- I like to have my breakfast no later than 8 a.m. (earlier is preferable); lunch no later than 1 p.m. (11:30 a.m./noon is preferable); and dinner no later than 6 p.m. (5 or 5:30 p.m. works best). I’ve found eating my evening meal much later (say 8 p.m. or later) can cause me to go “bad” as my blood sugar dips and it is not pretty and the “uglies” surface. Occasionally when I am home alone, I will bring my meal into the living room and eat with my favorite show on TV for company.
—Pat D. Source: oceanandbay.org
Please be mindful that the experience shared herewith by these gracious members is their own, does not represent OA as a whole, and should not be compared with another person’s individual path of recovery, food plan or otherwise.
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Let's invite the world to rip us off
The Ocean and Bay Intergroup has created a beautiful outreach flyer to carry the message and attract those who are sick and suffering from compulsive eating. Please consider doing service as suggested in our 5th tradition by taking a flyer(s) and hanging it in your local community. Places you can post are the library, grocery store, your doctor’s office or anywhere that has a community bulletin board. Download the poster and print it out on your own printer. Please remember to cut the little tabs at the bottom so people can easily tear off that information. To view or download the flyer, click here. Also, you can have a poster sent to you by emailing your full name and address to: nancy@oceanandbay.org.
Thank you!
Nancy H, Chair of Ocean and Bay Intergroup
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In 2011, I weighed 534 pounds (242 kg) and was unable to walk due to sepsis from an E. coli infection. When I was admitted to the hospital, my feet and legs were black from the blood pooling, my organs had shut down, and I smelled disgusting because my skin was weeping from the infection. I also had diabetes, high blood pressure, off-the-charts triglycerides, and a rapid and irregular heartbeat. In fact, I was so close to death that the doctor sent me to die at a skilled nursing home in a nearby city.
But the nurse who took care of me looked at me one day and said, “This woman is not going to die.” She worked hard to help me clean my food and my body. It took six people to roll me over to change my sheets or my diaper. I was on oxygen and so many medications. I had pain medications available that would have let me die, and I would have gladly died because I couldn’t imagine my life without my legs. But the nurse saved my life and my legs, and I went home weighing 300 pounds (136 kg).
Once I was at home, though, I quickly gained back some of the weight. Five years later, at 400 pounds (181 kg), I fell and crushed my femur just above the knee. I was too fat for surgery, so they put a brace on my leg and sent me to the same skilled nursing home. Again, I was able to control my food in this medical setting. I went from 400 to 300 pounds in just seven months, even though I was not allowed to walk because my leg bone had to grow together without surgery.
Source: http://www.oalifeline.org
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Now Ocean and Bay is on Facebook
If you're a member of Facebook, please consider dropping by our Facebook page and giving us a like. The more likes we get, the more people will see us. That means more chances to help the still sick and suffering compulsive overeaters out there.
You can find us at: https://www.facebook.com/oceanandbay
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If you are thinking of taking your program to the next level, Ocean and Bay’s recovery journal is something you may want to purchase. This spiral-bound, 120- page journal spans a 60-day period and allows you to structure your day around your recovery from food addiction. It allows you to use the tool of writing in a very effective way. Asking questions like “Today was I resentful, selfish, dishonest?” It also helps to get to the root of our daily fears. It includes a gratitude list, a food log, and prompts like: “Something I like about myself.” There’s even check-off boxes for daily water consumption. It also includes a freedom from bondage prayer that you can actually participate in. It makes a great addition to support recovery!
To purchase a Journal, CLICK HERE
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Now Rhode Island, Southeastern Massachusetts and Southeastern Connecticut OA fits into your pocket
We have a new website! It takes a lot of time to do this; thank you to all involved for your service and look forward to sharing the new look further down the road. The meetings are much easier to access from a cell phone as well.
Give it a try: https://oceanandbay.org/
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Ocean and Bay Intergroup Mtg
February 7 6:30-7:30 pm
ALL ARE WELCOME
Zoom Meeting Link
Meeting ID: 831 1095 1408
Passcode: 247365
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OA PROMISE
I put my hand in yours, and together we can do what we could never do alone. No longer is there a sense of hopelessness, no longer must we each depend upon our own unsteady willpower. We are all together now, reaching out our hands for power and strength greater than ours, and as we join hands, we find love and understanding beyond our wildest dreams.
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Twelfth Tradition
"Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all these Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.."
We appreciate your contributions which help support spreading the message of recovery.
Please mail donations to:
Ocean and Bay Intergroup
Attn: Treasurer
PO Box 2243, East Greenwich, RI 02818
Note: Make checks payable to Ocean and Bay Intergroup
OR
Donate via Paypal
OR
Donate to our Venmo account:
@OceanandBayIntergroup
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SPECIAL FOCUS MEETINGS
You are welcome at any OA meeting, and we hope you’ll try many of the meetings on our Connecticut Intergroup and oa.org meeting lists! Some of our members find they also benefit from OA meetings with members who share similar experiences, so we are sharing this list of some of the special focus resources that are available in OA.
100 Pounders: Click Here
American Sign Language & Closed Caption – This meeting offers ASL interpretation Tuesdays at 8:00 pm Eastern: ASL Tues 8pm
Anorexics and Bulimics in OA – special focus meetings: Anorexics/Bulimics in OA
Asian-Pacific Islander OA Click Here
Atheist, Agnostics, Secular - special focus meetings: Click Here
Bariatric Surgery - Click Here
BIPOC (Black, Indigenous & People of Color) – special focus meetings: BIPOC Intergroup
Health Issues - Click Here
LGBTQ special focus meetings for OA: bit.ly/ckslist and Click Here
OAMen.org is dedicated to distributing information about meetings, resources, and support for men in OA: Men in OA
Young People in OA – resources for those under 30 who suffer from compulsive eating include Meetings for young persons and https://oa.org/young-people/
For more special focus meetings, you can go to OA.org:
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go to Find a Meeting
- select a type of meeting (face-to-face, online, telephone, or non-real-time)
- click on "additional search options" and select the desired special focus
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Mission & Vision Ocean & Bay Intergroup is dedicated to supporting individuals in need of recovery from compulsive eating (e.g.: overeating, bulimia, anorexia) through carrying the OA message and empowering all meetings within the Intergroup.
Strategic Goals
1. Help members strengthen their personal recovery
2. Increase the number of sponsors
3. Increase the number of newcomers
4. Increase the retention of newcomers
5. Help those in relapse
6. Inspire people to give more service
7. Increase outreach activities, including outreach to members and healthcare professionals
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Please note that every effort has been made to adhere to OA's policy for newsletter publications. Opinions and experiences expressed within are those of the individual writer and not OA as a whole.
SUBMISSIONS: This is your newsletter! We welcome your contributions of news items or commentary.* Deadline: 1st of each month. Example: Deadline 6/1 for June newsletter.
Please email : newsletter@oceanandbay.org
You are also invited to be one of the members who provides answers for a Q&A.
Again, just send us a note to: newsletter@oceanandbay.org
*May be edited as space allows.
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Ocean and Bay Intergroup
PO Box 2243, East Greenwich, RI 02818
Note: Make checks payable to Ocean and Bay Intergroup
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